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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · net · face · pitch · nail · shower · stick · spring

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — a face
  4. shower — rain
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. face — part of the head
  11. net — after costs
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. shower — to wash
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pitch — completely
  19. spring — a coil
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — for catching
  23. spring — the season
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com